One thing you can say about Remicade infusions: you definitely have a bit of time to pass. The infusions take at least two hours, and, for some people who have allergic reactions, the infusions are done so slowly it can take all day.
Before my infusions started, I knew I'd need some materials to help me pass the time. I'd been admiring Morelle's beautiful bags, and I knew one would be perfect for toting around my survival kit. I asked my husband, if Crohn's were a color, which color it would be, and he said purple. Wouldn't you know it; Morelle had the perfect bag in grape. She was even nice enough to replace the handles with a long over-the-shoulder strap.
Now, I just needed stuff to put in it. I decided that it would be good idea to keep notes during my infusions. My favorite illustrator is Mary Engelbreit; I even have one of her prints on my office wall. A friend gave me a nice ME notebook, and I thought the quote on the cover was fitting for the occasion:
Walk towards the sunshine, and the shadows will fall behind you.
To write my notes, I have a new Sharpie pen. I'm a pen snob, and I love these pens. Its only downfall is the ink is blue. I hate blue ink and don't use pens that contain it. The fact I'm still using this pen tells you how great it is.
As I discussed before, I spent a lot of time coming up with an infusion playlist for my iPod. The night before an infusion, I sync up my iPod and charge it. Even though it's fully charged, I still take my Griffin charger. Although I never actually watch videos on my iPod, you never know when I might, and I'd need the extra charge. I forgot to include my headphones in the picture, but I won't forget to put them in the bag. I've come to hate the in-the-ear buds, and I've reverted to the old school, on-your-ears phones.
I didn't take any last time, but, from now on, I'm going to take some candy with me. My favorite candy (at least for the last few weeks) is the Nestle Crunch Crisp. During my last infusion, I got the munchies for candy, and my husband set off to find some. Little did I know, he had to leave the hospital and go down the street to a convenience store. Now he doesn't have to worry about it :)
I also have a stack of books that I plan to read over the next few weeks. I finished reading "Smart Soapmaking" during my last infusion, and this week I'm going to start reading "Render Unto Caesar." Also on my list are "The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss (Without Being a B*tch)" and "The Everything Soapmaking Book." At the rate I read, that should get my through to next August.
Last, but not least, no survival kit is complete without a good cell phone with text messaging capabilities. My last phone, a Motorola Q, was a big piece of crap. My new phone, an LG enV2, has been the best phone I've ever owned. I can text away if I get bored, and I won't miss any of my "critical" Gmails. And I think the new message beep only slightly annoys the nurse.
Tomorrow is my 2nd infusion, and, even though the first one was pretty successful, I'm still a little nervous. At least I have a lot of goodies to keep my mind off my worries. Now if someone would just invent an "I-know-I'm-a-hard-stick-just-start-the-damn-IV" survival kit ;)
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